"I called (Mississippi State head) Coach (Rick) Ray around 12:30 (today) and committed," said Houston. "He was very excited. That made me feel real good."

He provided several reasons why he decided to commit to Mississippi State.

"I had established a relationship with (MSU assistant) Coach (George) Brooks and Coach Ray (because) Mississippi State has been recruiting me since I was going into my 10th grade year," said Houston. "They were the first school to start recruiting me and Coach Brooks was the first person I talked to as a recruiting coach. He's always staying in touch with me and when we have conversations he's always telling me about things at Mississippi State.

"I also know a couple of players up there. Craig Sword is from the same school that I go too. And he tells me a lot about Mississippi State and the type program that it is. He told me that Coach Ray is straight up and helps you all kind of ways. He said Coach Ray makes sure you do what you are supposed to do and that he helps you get better."

Houston's high school coach, James Jackson, was impressed with the effort Mississippi State's staff put forth recruiting his player.

"Coach Ray and his staff did a great job of recruiting him," said Jackson. "Like (Houston) told me, they showed him a lot of love. They kept checking on him a lot and keeping up on him. And that made him feel real good. You could definitely see that they wanted him to be a part of the Mississippi State basketball team."

Houston had been talking to Jackson about committing due to the added pressure recruiting had taken on of late.

"We have been talking about it," said Jackson. "He's had a lot on him because other schools had started coming in on him, schools such as Memphis, Georgia and other schools, to get him on their list. They were very, very excited about trying to get him to their schools. But after dealing with it day-in, day-out, it gets old."

Jackson feels Mississippi State got a great one in Houston.

"The sky is the limit for him," said Jackson. "He is about 6-foot-6 and he can really get airborne. He is superb with his mid-range game because he is very athletic and can jump up over a lot of people. One thing that will help him fit into Coach Ray's scheme of things is that he can really run the floor and finish at the basket."

According to Jackson, Houston's is already an excellent defender and rebounder.

"Defensively, he has great timing blocking shots and he moves his feet very well," said Jackson. "He can guard the post and he is a great perimeter defender because of his length. He is also a great rebounding guard. We consider him a guard/forward."

To help him complete his overall game, Jackson has been working on other aspects of Houston's offensive game.

"What we have been doing with him during the summer is working on his dribble-drive and his three-point shooting a lot more," said Jackson.